Many of today's meetings take place in Orlando and Miami -- destinations where high-speed Internet access is often taken for granted. Imagine a place (just 90 miles south of the tip of Florida) where most citizens have no Internet access whatsoever, and those fortunate enough to get online suffer through dial-up speeds and frequent outages. In 2013, it's hard to believe this news is just now being announced in Cuba, but an official Cuban government report has confirmed the first high-speed undersea fiberoptic cable from Venezuela (the ALBA-1) is going live.

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When a squirrel chewed through a cable and knocked him offline, journalist Andrew Blum started wondering what the Internet was really made of. So he set out to go see it -- the underwater cables, secret switches and other physical bits that make up the net. For his new book, "Tubes," Andrew Blum visited the places where the internet exists in physical form: the cables and switches and servers that virtually connect us.

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Before you head into a hotel negotiation check out these 10 amazing tips to ensure you get the best deal possible for your event.

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Behind every WiFi network and Ethernet drop is a broadband circuit that carries your data to the Internet. The bandwidth of this circuit is often measured in Mbps (Megabits per second). There are 2 primary ways to get bandwidth into an event: fiber-optic cable or fixed wireless technology.

In this blog post we'll explore fixed wireless technology as a viable bandwidth source for events.

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Our world has become more "open and connected", but is all of this tweeting, liking, and sharing turning us into Internet-addicted cyborgs? Tony Dokoupil reports in Newsweek Magazine on the rise and demise of Jason Russell. Russel is a guy you may not recognize by name, but you may recall the short film he wrote and directed called Kony 2012, one of the Internet's most viral videos of all time.

We recognize the irony of an ISP sounding the alarm about the risks of Internet psychosis, but we found this article so compelling we had to share it anyway. Dokoupil provides an intimate and downright scary glimpse into the downward spiral and infinite digital vortex of the modern day Internet.

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Here's a handy tool for event planners with quick definitions for Access Point, ADSL, Router, T1, T3 and other networking terms.

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Discussions about the cost, quality, availability and options for wireless connectivity in convention centers is more lively than ever. There are white papers, task forces and work groups springing up to address the various issues of increasing demand and stagnating supply. At the end of the day, the industry really needs some education.

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EXPO Magazine's second annual Technology Survey 2012 details the technology interests of event organizers and where they plan to spend their money in the coming year. The predicted increase in expenditures on "connected" devices, platforms and apps that require on-site Wi-Fi may exacerbate an already challenging situation.

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Real-time social media channels are the canaries in the coalmines at events. When something goes wrong, the entire world knows about it. There is an upside to that though. When something goes incredibly right, everyone "hears" about it. Nintendo's press event at E3 was a perfect example.

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Sometimes, people will do anything for a wireless connection—cruise for miles to find a Starbucks or roam random neighborhoods for an unsecured signal. What if trade show organizers devised a system prompting attendees to perform certain tasks in order to earn free Wi-Fi access on the show floor?

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